Ministry not yet allow dumping of 2.5 million cu.m of mud into sea

The environment ministry has yet to approve a proposal on the dumping of 2.5 million cubic metres of waste mud into the sea (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE) has yet to
approve a proposal from a thermo electric power project on the dumping of 2.5
million cubic metres of waste mud into the local sea.

The project on
building infrastructure for the Quang Trach electricity power complex in the
central province of Quang Binh, is seeking permission from governmental
agencies to dump the mud, which is dredged during the construction of a harbour
for the transport of coal for the power plants in the complex.

Nguyen The
Dong, Deputy Director General of the Vietnam Environmental Administration, said
when approving the project’s report on environmental impact assessment in
December last year, the ministry had not permitted the dumping and required the
project’s investor to continue assessing environmental impacts of the dumping
of mud in the ocean.

The project's investor also has to devise a plan on the dumping, in accordance with the 2015 Law on Sea
and Island Resources and Environment and the Government’s Decree 40/2016/ND-CP
stipulating the enforcement of a number of articles of the law.

The plan should
be submitted to the authorised agencies for assessment and permission.

Dong stressed
that the dumping can only be carried out after the authorised agencies give
approval and hand over the sea location for the dumping.

He noted that
dumping the waste mud is the last resort, and the MoNRE advises investors to
optimise the use of dredged materials such as for sea dyke building.-VNA